Probable next Nexus phone, LG E960 Mako camera samples leak

LG is pretty lax when it comes to keeping the LG E960, a.k.a. the Optimus G-based Nexus phone, under wraps. Images and details of the smartphone just cant stop leaking all over web. The latest info comes from Onliner (again) and shows two camera samples.

The camera is an 8MP shooter (the Optimus G has two versions, 8MP and 13MP) and according to the EXIF info has a 4.6mm focal length (but that's all the info there is, the aperture data is missing). Note that the software is not finished yet, so we can expect the image quality to improve.

 
LG E960 Mako camera samples

The LG E960 Nexus has also been confirmed to use the Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chipset with four Krait cores and Adreno 320 graphics. What this leak didn?t confirm is the worrying rumor that the LG-made Nexus will have only 8GB of non-expandable on-board storage. Onliner is promising a review will be available tomorrow, so that will be settled soon.

In the mean time, you can hit the source link to check out a 360-degree spin on the phone.

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Powerful HTC phone for Verizon leaks, GLBenchmark confirms

HTC is obviously working on an immensely powerful smartphone. At least that's what the website of the popular GLBenchmark tool suggests.

Planned to launch on the Verizon network, the unannounced smartphone has a model number HTC6435, which seems to be a follow-up of the Rezound (HTC6425). What's more intriguing to us is what exactly does this baby have under the hood.

According to GLBenchmark, the HTC6435 is powered by a 1.5GHz processor, probably not the Snapdragon S4 that the One X boasts. Moreover, it has topped the S4 chipset with more than 110 FPS in the Egypt Offscreen and Pro 720p tests .

The tested device supposedly has a resolution of 1794?1080, which means it'll rock a 1080p display with room to spare for some onboard software buttons. And that is another first for HTC.

In order to achieve those incredible results, this mysterious HTC phone should be seriously rigged with top-of-the-shelf hardware. The Qualcomm MSM8960T chipset with the Adreno 320 GPU comes to mind but anything is possible.

Currently the leaked info shows it's running Android 4.0.4, but Jelly Bean might not be that far.

Source | Via

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LG to debut in-house quad-core L9 chipset in a phone this September

LG is about to debut its own L9 chipset this September. The L9 will be feature a quad-core ARM processor and a powerful GPU, but the architecture is yet to be announced.

As the number 9 in the name suggests, the L9 might be based on the older ARM Cortex-A9 cores instead of the newer Cortex-A15 architecture. Though as you probably know LG licensed both A9 and A15 ARM architectures, so you never know.

Anyway, the new L9 platform will power a new high-end LG phone set to launch in September. It will pack a True HD-IPS screen (the one we saw on the Optimus 4X HD) and will bring a camera with a resolution of 10 or more megapixels.

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Nokia has a backup plan if Windows Phone 8 fails

Nokia has been frantically rejecting the possibility of putting Android on its smartphones, but this might change if Windows Phone 8 fails to gain traction.

 

In an interview aired on a Finnish TV, Risto Siilasmaa, a member of the Nokia board of directors, said that Android is the company's "backup plan" if Windows Phone 8 fails.

However, Siilasmaa also added that he is happy with how things are currently shaping up for Windows Phone 8 and switching to plan B probably won't be required. Microsoft and Nokia are betting on more features and less bugs to turn things in their favor.

Many people are going to be quite happy if in fact Nokia joins the Android camp and starts manufacturing some truly high-end devices. However, such a turn of events seems unlikely as the contract between Nokia and Microsoft is said to contain clauses, which force the Finns to focus all their effort on WP.

Update: Nokia got in touch with us and it turns out the interview was wrongly interpreted. When asked what the company's backup plan was, Nokia's chairman hasn't explicitly stated that Android is in it. Here's the exact quote: "[...] like any responsible board, we must be prepared for alternatives, but that is not our focus today [...]".

However, we can't think of any other mobile OS, which can be a viable alternative to the Windows Phone strategy, other than Android.

Source | Via

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Dell Venue Pro receives Windows Phone Tango update

If you were concerned whether your non-Nokia Windows Phone will receive the Windows Phone Tango update then you can heave a sigh of relief, particularly if you are one of the few people who are still rocking the Dell Venue Pro.

 

Despite the fact that the Venue Pro is almost two years old now and was one of the first Windows Phone to hit the market, it is still receiving the latest updates. So far, we only know of one user in Germany who has received this update for his phone but other should follow suit.

Do note that this is not the Windows Phone 7.8 update that was promised to current Windows Phone 7.5 devices and there is no guarantee that this phone will receive that update. But the fact that Dell is still updating a two year-old phone should give you some hope.

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Samsung Omnia W gets Windows Phone Tango update

Yesterday, we reported that the ageing Dell Venue Pro got the Tango update. Now another, newer and far more popular Windows Phone, the Samsung Omnia W, is getting ready to Tango.

Several users in India are reporting that their Omnia W has gotten the Window Phone Tango update. As usual, the update has to be downloaded by connecting your phone to a desktop computer.

The changes this update brings include ability to add media files in MMS, export and import contacts to and from the phone and other performance improvements. Unfortunately, the Internet sharing feature that Nokia promised for the Lumia phones is not available here.

If you have got this phone, you should have gotten the notification by now. Even if you haven't, connect it to Zune on the PC and see if the update is available for download.

Source (Thanks, Sameer)

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Microsoft to use Snapdragon S4 Plus for Windows Phone 8

As we already reported, Qualcomm remains the exclusive chipset manufacturer for the Windows Phone platform. Today we got a little more details on the actual chips that will go inside the new Windows Phone smartphones, as Qualcomm confirmed they will be providing the future WP8 smartphones with their Snapdragon S4 Plus chipsets.

 

The S4 Plus uses two Krait CPU cores, clocked at up to 1.7 GHz and built on a 28nm manufacturing process. Along with those, the chipset utilizes an Adreno GPU of either the 225 or 305 variety. It features Bluetooth 4, 802.11n Wireless (2.4/5GHz), 3G and LTE radios and supports cameras with up to 20MP resolution.

The very first WP8 handsets to hit the market will use the Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 chip, but further down the road Microsoft and its hardware partners might launch devices with S4 Pro or even quad-core S4 Prime chips.

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HTC Windows Phone 8 roadmap leaks out, 3 models in tow

HTC's Windows Phone 8 roadmap has leaked out, revealing three models with the freshly announced Microsoft OS in the pipeline. In a fashion, similar to the Android running HTC One series, the Taiwanese company will release an entry-level, upper mid-range, and a full-blown flagship handsets.

 

The HTC "Rio" will sit at the bottom of the range. The entry-level device is expected to sport a 4" WVGA display, 5MP camera and 14.4Mbps HSPA. The CPU will from the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 line, coupled with 512MB of RAM.

The HTC "Accord" will sit in the upper tiers of mid-range devices. It will feature a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2, 8MP camera with 1080p video capture, 42Mbps HSPA+, and NFC support. The CPU in this one will be a dual-core Snapdragon S4 silicon, to go with a gig of RAM.

The HTC "Zenith" will sit on top of the company's Windows Phone 8 range. It will feature a 4.7" S-LCD2 display and 42Mbps HSPA+. The CPU will reportedly be a yet to be announced quad-core beast from Qualcomm. The rest of the "Zenith" specs will be in line with those of the "Accord".

All in all, it looks like an exciting Fall season in the making for all HTC and Windows Phone fans out there. As always, we'll keep our ears to the ground for more info on these devices.

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Korean Galaxy S III to be the first quad-core LTE phone

Until now, if you wanted LTE support to go with your Galaxy S III, you'd have to sacrifice some processing power, namely the quad-core Exynos chipset, which does not support LTE. Evidence of this can be found in both the US and Japanese versions of the S III with LTE support, both of which are set to have dual-core processors.

It seems that Samsung has confirmed earlier rumors that there will be a version that will bring the best of both worlds, by being able to stuff in a separate LTE modem chip alongside the quad-core Exynos. This will allegedly bump the thickness up to 9mm, but that's not a major increase considering the device currently comes in at around 8.6 mm. Word has it that it will also retain its 2100mAh battery.

Samsung has announced that the quad-core LTE model should hit the Korean market sometime next month. There's no word whether it will come to other markets as of yet.

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First BlackBerry 10 phone won't have a QWERTY keyboard

 

The Washington Post is reporting on a curious decision by RIM - the first BlackBerry 10 device to launch will be touchscreen-only. RIM isn't abandoning their trademark - the full hardware QWERTY keyboard - as such devices will still come later on.

While it's true that touch-only devices running iOS or Android are taking BlackBerry's lunch money, the solid typing experience is one of the main reasons people still buy a BlackBerry.

In fact, with most droids forsaking the physical keyboard (and iPhones which never had one), a BlackBerry is one of the few options for people who hate typing on virtual keyboards.

RIM already have a touch-only design for a BlackBerry 10 phone, the developer alpha unit they unveiled in May. One analyst from Jeffries says that BB 10 is all about catching up with Apple in terms of touch and multimedia experience.

He goes on to add "They are going to build a BlackBerry device with a keyboard, but it?s just going to take longer. Maybe it will come a month or two after, but frankly it might be already too late."

Any way you cut it, starting with a touch-only BlackBerry is a gamble. And while the company is not in a good position to lose a bet, if it pays off RIM might start reclaiming some of that lost marketshare.

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Samsung outs a dual-touchscreen Android flip phone for China

Samsung has announced yet another dual-touchscreen Android flip phone, this time exclusively for China's second largest carrier China Unicom.

Carrying the GT-B9120 moniker, the peculiar Android flip phone is practically the same as the previously announced dual-SIM Samsung W999. It features two 3.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreens with a resolution of 480x800 pixels each. Inside, there's a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.

The GT-B9120 runs Android 2.3 Gingebread and features HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The back of the phone carries a decent 5MP snapper, while a 1.3MP front-facing camera takes care of video chats.

It's currently unclear when exactly China Unicom will put the device for sale and for what price, but expect it soon. It's a pity Samsung won't launch the unusual droid anywhere else. One can still hope, though.

Via | Source

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